I recently got a 15x42 Leblond Regal lathe. It was built in 1954 and bought new by the company I work for. They recently replaced it with a new one and I got this one. After 50 years, I'm only the 2nd owner.
It all seems to work and the gears in the head look like new. It has a taper attachment that seems to be frozen in place with gunk. When I clamp the taper in place and try to move the carriage, I expect the carriage to move and the taper to slide on its ways, which are cocked to the desired angle. What happens is the force tries to move the clamp that ties the taper attachment but the carriage stays in place.
I'm a bit nervous about taking the sliding part of the taper apart for cleaning having never worked on anything like this. I don't know how to adjust it when putting it back together. Am I right to worry about this and if so, is there a good explanations somewhere?
The machine also has a travadial that had some water vapor fog under the glass when I got it. I put a lamp under it for about a week and the fog is gone now. Do I need to lubricate it or anything?
Lastly I've read the recent talk about synthetic oil with great interest. The lathe manual asks for 20W engine oil, it seems like Mobil 1 would be a good substitute.
I got a couple of chucks and some collets with the lathe but no rests for supporting long parts. Are any available for this old machine?
I'm a total newbie to this and I'm looking forward to playing with it.